--- description: Prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong will return to jail for two months over defying a court order during the 2014 democracy protests title: Hong Kong Democracy Activist Joshua Wong Returns to Jail image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt153373e2bae14838/698949fb4ee26270d3314844/gettyimages-1144024400.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Hong Kong topic](/tag/hong-kong/) ## Hong Kong topic Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Hong Kong Activist Joshua Wong Sent Back to Prison After Losing Appeal ## Video: Hong Kong Democracy Activists Walk Free After a Court Upholds Their Appeal [Watch (HLS stream): Hong Kong Democracy Activists Walk Free After a Court Upholds Their Appeal](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yG6myugt.m3u8) (0:49)  _Published 2018-02-06. In a case viewed as a crucial test of Hong Kong’s judicial independence, an appeals court has ruled to free three prominent activists who were facing prison terms for their role in massive pro-democracy protests that shook the semi-autonomous region_ by [Hillary Leung](/author/hillary-leung/) ## Hillary Leung Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 16, 2019 9:33 AM CUT  Activist Joshua Wong is seen outside a court house in Hong Kong on May 16, 2019. Activist Joshua Wong is seen outside a court house in Hong Kong on May 16, 2019.Vernon Yuen—NurPhoto/Getty Images by [Hillary Leung](/author/hillary-leung/) ## Hillary Leung Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 16, 2019 9:33 AM CUT Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong, one of the student leaders of the 2014 Umbrella Movement, was sent back to prison Thursday after losing an appeal against a contempt of court conviction. Wong, 22, [was sentenced](http://time.com/5105498/joshua-wong-hong-kong-prison/ "undefined") to three months in prison in January 2018 for defying a court order to leave a demonstration site during the 2014 rallies. Wong, then just a 17-year-old student, was at the forefront of the sit-ins that brought major roads in Hong Kong to a standstill for nearly three months as demonstrators called for greater political autonomy in the semi-autonomous Chinese enclave. After initially being held for six days, Wong was [released on bail](http://time.com/5134985/hong-kong-joshua-wong-free/ "undefined") pending his appeal. Wong, who had sought to have the conviction overturned, now faces a reduced, two-month sentence to be served immediately, according to court documents. On Twitter, the activist confirmed that he will be “returning to jail for five additional weeks.” > [](https://twitter.com/joshuawongcf/status/1128918157932941313) Wong was previously convicted of unlawful assembly and sentenced to six months in prison on a separate unlawful assembly charge. After spending two months, including his 21st birthday, [in a prison cell](http://time.com/5011057/hong-kong-joshua-wong-interview/ "undefined"), Wong was released when an appeals court threw out the sentence. Over 100 people [have been convicted](https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/11/18/four-years-trial-umbrella-movement-nine-begin/ "undefined") for their involvement in the 2014 protest movement, according to a local activist’s count. Most of the convictions were for non-violent offenses. Last month, eight Hong Kong activists were [handed sentences](http://time.com/5577008/hong-kong-democracy-activists-jail-sentence/ "undefined") of up to 16 months for their involvement in organizing the demonstrations, a verdict that some fear reflects a bid to quash dissent after the protests proved a formidable challenge to Beijing’s authority. Thursday’s sentence also comes amid mounting concerns over a controversial [extradition bill](http://time.com/5563306/hong-kong-extradition-law-china/ "undefined") that would allow the transfer of fugitives to mainland China to stand trial. The bill, which has incited thousands to [take to the street in protest](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48084019 "undefined"), stokes further fears that the city’s freedoms and legal protections could be compromised by Beijing. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5590115/hong-kong-joshua-wong-prison-return/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5590115/hong-kong-joshua-wong-prison-return/"},"headline":"Hong Kong Activist Joshua Wong Sent Back to Prison After Losing Appeal","datePublished":"2019-05-16T09:33:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T23:31:59.775Z","description":"Wong will return to jail for two months over defying a court order during the 2014 democracy protests","url":"https://time.com/5590115/hong-kong-joshua-wong-prison-return/","keywords":["Hong Kong topic","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt153373e2bae14838/698949fb4ee26270d3314844/gettyimages-1144024400.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Hillary Leung","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/hillary-leung/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt153373e2bae14838/698949fb4ee26270d3314844/gettyimages-1144024400.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"joshua_wong_hong_kong_appeal_verdict","caption":"Hong Kong Joshua Wong Appeal Verdict","creditText":"Vernon Yuen—NurPhoto/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/hong-kong/","name":"Hong Kong topic"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5590115/hong-kong-joshua-wong-prison-return/","name":"Hong Kong Activist Joshua Wong Sent Back to Prison After Losing Appeal"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Hong Kong Democracy Activists Walk Free After a Court Upholds Their Appeal","description":"In a case viewed as a crucial test of Hong Kong’s judicial independence, an appeals court has ruled to free three prominent activists who were facing prison terms for their role in massive pro-democracy protests that shook the semi-autonomous region","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/yG6myugt/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-02-06T16:52:12.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yG6myugt.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5590115/hong-kong-joshua-wong-prison-return/","duration":"PT49S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5590115/hong-kong-joshua-wong-prison-return/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```